The 1978 Comorian coup d'état resulted in the successful overthrow of the 3rd President of the Comoros, Ali Soilih M'Tshashiwa, on May 13, 1978. Led by

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

mercenary A mercenary is a private individual who joins an armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rather t ...

Bob Denard Robert Denard (born Gilbert Bourgeaud; 7 April 1929 – 13 October 2007) was a French mercenary. He served as the ''de facto'' military leader of the Comoros twice with him first serving from 13 May 1978 to 15 December 1989 and again briefly f ...

and Comorian

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

Said Attoumani, the coup was financed by former president

Ahmed Abdallah Ahmed Abdallah Abderemane (, , 12 June 1919 – 26 November 1989) was a top Comoros, Comorian politician. He was a member of the French Senate from 1959 to 1973, and President of the Comoros from 25 October 1978 until his assassination in 1 ...

and former vice president Mohamed Ahmed. Following the successful coup attempt, Ahmed Abdallah and Mohamed Ahmed installed themselves as joint presidents. Soon after however, Ahmed Abdallah was named as the sole executive.

Background

Installed as a populist leader following the ousting of founding president Ahmed Abdallah, Ali Soilih soon alienated the predominantly Muslim population of the country with his radical policies which limited individual freedoms, discouraged religion, and promoted a revolutionary culture. Restrictions under his regime included bans on religious practices and traditional ceremonies, aiming to establish a secular state in line with

Maoist Maoism, officially Mao Zedong Thought, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed while trying to realize a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic o ...

principles. As a symbolic gesture of breaking away from the past, President Soilih ordered the destruction of government archives. President Soilih's policies, combined with the withdrawal of French aid and its civil servants from the country, exacerbated an already dire economic situation characterized by high unemployment and declining living standards.

Coup attempt

From May 12 to May 13, 1978, a group of foreign mercenaries led by Bob Denard staged a coup d'état which resulted in the ousting of President Soilih and the deaths of five people. In the aftermath, a provisional government was formed under the leadership of Said Attoumani, a minister of the Abdallah administration who helped lead the coup. The new government claimed to restore rights previously denied during the Soilih regime, including freedom of religion, the right to hold traditional wedding ceremonies, and the right to freely use personal property.

Aftermath

Following a few days of rule by the provisional government, former president Ahmed Abdallah and former vice president Mohamed Ahmed, both financiers of the coup attempt, returned to Moroni from their three-year exile in

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and installed themselves as joint presidents, proclaiming the Federal and Islamic Republic of the Comoros on May 24. Soon after however, Abdallah was named as the sole executive. On May 29, Ali Soilih was shot and killed while reportedly attempting to escape from

house arrest House arrest (also called home confinement, or nowadays electronic monitoring) is a legal measure where a person is required to remain at their residence under supervision, typically as an alternative to imprisonment. The person is confined b ...

. The government claimed that he was fatally wounded while trying to flee with "outside elements".

References

{{African coups d'État 1970s coups d'état and coup attempts

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

Comorian coup d'état Comorian coup d'état Comorian coup d'état